NEW DELHI, 26 January 2004 — India’s main opposition Congress has asked heirs to the country’s most influential political family, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, to campaign for the party during upcoming parliament elections.
“We are bringing them (Rahul and Priyanka) because it would be beneficial for the party. They will draw crowds. They are already drawing crowds,” Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee said.
The party’s youth wing was meeting yesterday and is expected to formally ask Priyanka to take up political cudgels. Priyanka is being seen as the rightful inheritor of the Nehru-Gandhi legacy.
“If Priyanka starts campaigning, that will help Sonia Gandhi become Prime Minister and form a government on her own,” said Nadeem Jaisi, Youth Congress’ Uttar Pradesh president.
Speculation has been rife for some years now that Rahul and Priyanka, grandchildren of India’s only woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and children of former Premier Rajiv Gandhi, could enter active politics.
Last week, a spokesman announced that the brother and sister, in their early 30s, had officially joined the Congress party led by their mother Sonia Gandhi, the 57-year-old Italian-born widow of Rajiv Gandhi.
This enables them to contest the forthcoming parliamentary elections as Congress candidates.
Last week, the two toured the villages of Rae Bareilly and neighboring Amethi — where their mother is an MP — in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh state.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s ruling BJP wants to hold elections before the end of April to take advantage of strong economic growth caused by a bountiful monsoon last year.
The 119-year-old Congress which led India to independence from Britain in 1947 and has ruled the country for most of its independent history is facing a crisis following its longest stint out of power.
The last Congress government to rule India completed its tenure in 1996. The party has just 109 members in 545-seat parliament compared with 180 for the BJP, which rules in a coalition with some 20 parties.
Meanwhile, BJP President Venkaiah Naidu yesterday had a dig at the Congress for looking to Priyanka and Rahul. “Congress is worried. They do not have a leader. They are now looking to children,” said Naidu. “We can understand their plight. Anyway, we wish them the best of luck.”
